Pennsylvania STEM Program Newsletter: Local Resources and Guide

Pennsylvania has two STEM cities that punch well above their geographic weight. Pittsburgh is home to Carnegie Mellon, one of the world's top computer science and robotics institutions, and has reinvented itself from a steel city into a major AI and autonomous vehicle hub. Philadelphia has one of the largest biopharma corridors in the country. A STEM newsletter that connects to either city's landscape gives Pennsylvania families a compelling picture of what STEM education leads to locally.

Carnegie Mellon and the Pittsburgh AI ecosystem

Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science and Robotics Institute are among the world's most influential research institutions in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and autonomous systems. Uber ATG and Waymo's autonomous vehicle research operations in Pittsburgh grew directly from CMU research. Dozens of AI startups have Pittsburgh roots.

For Pittsburgh area students, the pathway from computer science education to world-class AI careers is unusually direct. CMU's CS Academy provides free high school computer science curriculum with active Pennsylvania teacher support.

Philadelphia's biopharma corridor

The Philadelphia suburbs are home to one of the largest concentrations of pharmaceutical and biotech companies on the East Coast. GSK, Merck US headquarters, AstraZeneca, and Johnson and Johnson all have significant operations there. The University of Pennsylvania's medical school and Penn Medicine connect directly to clinical research careers. For students in suburban Philadelphia interested in life sciences, the career pathway is highly local.

UPMC and healthcare technology in Pittsburgh

UPMC is one of the nation's largest healthcare systems and a major research institution with strong connections to CMU and University of Pittsburgh. Healthcare data science, medical imaging technology, and biomedical engineering are active career fields in Pittsburgh. For students interested in combining technology and healthcare, Pittsburgh offers a rich local ecosystem.

The Franklin Institute and STEM culture

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is one of the oldest science institutions in the country and one of the most visited science museums. It runs school programs and teacher professional development. For Philadelphia area schools, the Franklin Institute is an accessible resource that can make science vivid in ways that classroom instruction alone cannot.

Template: Pennsylvania STEM newsletter excerpt

"This semester our computer science class is studying machine learning fundamentals using curriculum from Carnegie Mellon's CS Academy. Pittsburgh has become one of the world's leading AI research centers, directly connected to CMU research. We have a graduate student researcher from CMU visiting in November to talk about AI careers and current research projects. The Pennsylvania Science Olympiad registration is also open this month."

Pennsylvania STEM competitions

Pennsylvania has one of the most active FIRST Robotics ecosystems in the country. Science Olympiad Pennsylvania runs strong state championships. The Junior Academy of Sciences of Pennsylvania recognizes student research. MATHCOUNTS Pennsylvania is nationally competitive. The Philadelphia Science Festival is a major public science celebration each spring. These programs build the STEM culture and skills that Pennsylvania's tech and biopharma employers need.

Daystage makes it easy to keep Pennsylvania families connected to the extraordinary STEM resources and career opportunities in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia throughout the school year.